‘Your Support Matters’—An Exploration of Newcomers' Workplace Commitment During Virtual Socialisation

Abstract

Remote and hybrid work have grown due to technological advances and the need for global talent, enabling cross‐border collaboration and widespread adoption by organisations and employees. Thus, understanding how virtual socialisation shapes workplace relationships and commitment is crucial. This paper explores how newcomers experience commitment during virtual socialisation, through the lens of media richness. A qualitative study was conducted based on 38 interviews. The findings show that media richness shaped individuals' socialisation and commitment experiences. While effective communication may facilitate transactional relationships, team support can provide the socioemotional input needed to foster commitment. This contributes to commitment theory by investigating how multiple commitments develop through virtual socialisation, an area still underexplored. It contributes to media richness theory by highlighting the role of using diverse media combined with consistent communication in enhancing individual socialisation. Practical implications are offered for employers seeking to understand and strengthen employee commitment in remote/hybrid work settings.